Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In the news today- President's childhood friend serving in $300K 'Senior Advisor' role, East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission calls for police chief to resign, MSU women’s soccer delivers a five-goal performance to storm past Illinois, Michigan State football trounced by No. 3 Indiana on the road.
Creators and Guests
What is The State - A Podcast from The State News + Impact 89FM?
The State is a daily rundown of the headlines that matter to the East Lansing, MI community.
Hi, and welcome back to The State. I hope everyone had a great fall break. I'm your host, Rebecca McEvoy. Today's date is 10/22/2025. The forecast predicts that it will be a cool day, with a high being 57 and a low being 42.
Speaker 1:The state brings you the stories that matter. President's childhood friend serving in a 300 ks senior advisor role. Records show Kevin Guskowicz quietly brought in his childhood pal, Harold Balick, to serve in an entirely new 300,000 per year role, senior advisor to the president for strategy and operational excellence, months after he started at MSU in 2024. As academic department leaders are asked to implement sweeping cuts and layoffs, some view Ballack's role as symbolic of a bloated C suite that requires its own especially careful financial audit. The university has maintained that 9% cuts will be made at the top layers of administration, corresponding with what's been asked of colleges and units.
Speaker 1:Ann told the state news of three positions that they have recently eliminated in the president's office. Still, skepticism persists, with its faculty members saying that MSU has provided them with little information on such reductions, and some perceiving a disproportionately cushy culture among university leadership. East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission calls for police chief to resign. In the latest development of a saga between the East Lansing Police Department and the community it serves, a commission tasked with holding the department accountable has called for the police chief to resign. The controversy stems from several incidents which occurred over welcome weekend, with the central point of concern originating from an altercation between a police officer and two residents that resulted in misdemeanor charges for both.
Speaker 1:Many community members and the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission have accused the EOPD of exercising excessive force in this circumstance, in which the officer deployed pepper spray on both individuals, Loney Smith and Mason Woods, without sufficient reasoning or warning. MSU's women's soccer delivers a five goal performance to Storm Pass, Illinois. After a two o win over Indiana on Thursday night, Michigan State women's soccer carried that momentum into Sunday's match, and then some. In a game played under steady rain and harsh winds at DeMartin Stadium, the Spartans delivered one of their most complete performances of the season, cruising past Illinois five to one. Michigan State football trounced by number three Indiana on the road.
Speaker 1:Michigan State football, after suffering an embarrassing homecoming loss to UCLA, faced an extreme challenge against number three Indiana, coming off a win at then the top five ranked Oregon Ducks. The Spartans displayed early effort in the upset bid but were easily overwhelmed by the Hoosiers going down 30 eight-thirteen. Thank you for joining us for The State, produced by The State News and Impact eighty nine FM. You can find us online at thestatenews.com and impact89fm.org. We'll be back tomorrow with more.